1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of battery powered computing devices including notebook style personal computers, and more particularly to the field of document viewing within a battery powered computing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Personal computing has advanced over time beginning with the dawn of personal computing more than thirty years ago. Initially envisioned as a plaything for the home hobbyist, the personal computer quickly evolved into a significant business tool. Within a short period of time from the introduction of the first turn-key functional personal computer, computer manufactures recognized the need for a portable form of the personal computer. Consequently, the clam shell design provided initial portability for the personal computer, soon thereafter followed by the semi-portable casing of the Apple™ Macintosh™.
Despite the portable nature of the clam shell design, an AC power source still powered portable forms of the personal computer. Thus, the mobility of the computing end user remained limited to the six feet from AC outlet to personal computer. Nearly a half decade later, however, battery powered personal computers became a reality with the first laptop computer. Battery powered laptop computers liberated the personal computer from the office desk and enabled a mobile workforce that today has transformed the way in which people compute. Battery powered laptop computers literally allow the office to travel with the office worker rather than requiring the office worker to travel to the office.
Battery life has been and will always be the fundamental limitation of the battery powered portable computer. Advances in battery cell technology have lengthened the ability of one to computer by battery from merely an hour to nearly a day. Yet, the mobile computing workforce still faces on a constant basis the nearly exhausted charge of the notebook computer battery. To maximize mobile usage of the notebook computer, automated power management techniques have evolved that generally include the strategic management of display backlighting, hard drive powering and the reduction in central processing unit (CPU) speed.
Even still, most computing end users can attest to the moment when, despite best efforts at power management, they are notified of the impending exhaustion of battery life—oftentimes at a critical time when computing is of paramount importance. Mobile computing can be especially important for end users seeking to read electronic materials while lacking access to a hard copy of the same materials. In this circumstance, the notebook computer essentially transforms into an electronic book or magazine providing a view into an electronic document. When utilized as a document viewer, very few resources need be consumed by the notebook computer. Notwithstanding, no matter whether one uses a notebook computer to perform processor intensive computing or merely to view a document, without power the notebook computer becomes unusable.